"Percy, stop the fire!" Frank shouted as part of a rug lit aflame. Hazel tried to corral the three younger demigods, Matt, Izzy and Ron, away from the flames.

"Really? I was going to make it way bigger! How does setting it to Level: Volcano sound?" Percy retorted, both of his hands outstretched. He had an orange tint to his body as he stood dangerously close to the raging fire. A gust of wind rushing over him as Jason rushed over to Piper, sparks in his eyes to try and protect his wife.

"Jason, not helping! Wind kinda makes fire difficult!" Annabeth screamed, using a nearby tablecloth to smother a patch of flames close by.

"What's taking so long, Perce?" Piper questioned, she couldn't charmspeak fire and when it came to fires she really only knew how to make them bigger. Not a useful skill in this situation.

"Yeah, I thought you were supposed to use the water in the air?" Jason asked.

"There is no water in the air! What's your excuse, run out of lightning?" Percy responded with closed eyes and a furrowed brow. Reyna studied the situation as best she could, right now they had to either rely on Percy to douse the flames with water, Jason to fly them out or Frank to shapeshift into an octopus or something. Jason's plan would take too long and if he used more wind it could make the flames even more uncontrollable. Frank could get hurt but it was a viable option. Percy seemed to be having trouble with getting some water.

Reyna tried concentrating but the light shining in her eyes certainly wasn't helping.

Wait, a light.

She turned on her heels towards the light, the sun peeking through a small curtained window. They hadn't noticed the windows before, the curtains were so thick that they absorbed the sunlight and made the ballroom as dark as Tartarus, but at least they had an escape route.

"There's a window!" She yelled at Annabeth, who, along with Matt and Ron, ran to the window to pull the curtains away. Light spilled into the room like opening a door underwater, it filled the room with natural light. Had they had been in a different situation, Annabeth thought the ballroom would have been a beautiful place for a wedding or family reunion but if she didn't act fast, it could be the site of several deaths. The blonde demigod placed a hand on the window, dusty from age, and studied the glass pane for a moment.

"Uh, Wise Girl, we can admire the glass-work later!" Percy screamed, motioning for her to step away as he broke into a sprint, planning to jump through it like an action hero.

"Found it!" Annabeth exclaimed, bashing a point on the window with the butt of her dagger in the process. Cracks formed immediately just before Percy crashed into the glass. The window fell to neat pieces and allowed for others to follow the son of Poseidon easily. One by one the demigods jumped through the bright open window into the outside world, each landing on the dirt covered, cracked sidewalk with a body shaking thud.

Pedestrians walked by without a single care in the world, let alone the ability to notice several young adults covered in soot and sweat sitting on the sidewalk. The mist had, yet again, obscured their world from another. Some might call them lucky, others might call them boring...

"Fire still creeps me out..." Frank panted, lying face up on the sidewalk. Hazel giggled and helped him up along with the others. Percy stood up last but swayed where he stood, falling into Jason's arms as he collapsed.

"Easy there, Sea Legs." Jason muttered, thinking that Percy should lay off the sweets for a while, "Take a seat. We'll try and get you some water."

"Thanks," Percy sat on the sidewalk, sweat rolling off of his face as he stretched out with his senses for water. He could feel the pipeline beneath the concrete jungle of New York. A fire hydrant was close. He slowly stood up, with the help of Annabeth, and walked a few feet to the hydrant.

"Everyone else okay?" Reyna asked, checking on the younger demigods herself.

"We're good!" Matt waved, his face practically black from the soot, with a bright, toothy grin.

Percy concentrated on the water in the hydrant, willing it to come out to play and make him feel better. Salt water was best but any water was good for the son of the literal water god. He was pushed aside by Ron, his bright red hair darkened from the fire, as he took the top of the fire hydrant and twisted it.

"You're a walking monkey wrench," Percy said as water exploded from the hydrant like they struck oil. At that exact moment, another crash echoed along the streets. Hazel jumped into the air with a loud yelp as everyone turned towards the source.

A large semi-truck had crashed into the hotel, the trailer painted red like it was from a post-apocalyptic world with spikes nailed all on it. The double doors slammed open as several cyclopes, Annabeth counted twenty, emerged and stormed the hotel.

"Out of the fire and into the frying pan..." Jason uttered, all of them now soaked from the fire hydrant.

"I don't think that's the saying, Jason." Piper shook her head as more one-eyed beasts jumped from the truck.

"Great, so what's the plan?" Everyone turned to Frank and Reyna, even Annabeth. Both the Roman demigods looked to each other as they thought through each of their battle plans. They had all trained together not only during the Giant War but after as well, combining Grecian and Roman tactics to form a perfect team. But they hadn't fought together in a while, let alone trained together in ages...

"King Kong in an island storm?" Frank offered, Reyna shook her head and had a counter attack.

"Rich Genius with an Aquarium in the back?" Frank was the one to shake his head, they needed a diversion but not one that split them up so much. At once, like a light bulb went off in their heads, they spoke together.

"Three Stooges at Water World." The two Roman strategists looked towards Matt, Izzy, and Roman with a glint in their eyes as the other demigods looked confused. They hadn't heard of that formation before.

"I have a feeling that I'm Water World..." Percy sighed, his entire face soaking wet from standing right next to the fire hydrant; although, he looked like he was feeling better.

"That makes us the..." Izzy began, scratching her head.

"The Three Stooges." Ron huffed, cracking his neck with a furrowed brow as Matt grinned.

"Precisely." Reyna nodded, she filled the four demigods in on the plan while Frank told Jason, Hazel, and Annabeth their part of it. While Percy and the Three Stooges caused a distraction out front, hopefully drawing a large number of the cyclopes in the process, the three of them would go around back and round up any people and fight off any remaining monsters.

"Wait so where will I be?" Jason scratched his head, he didn't fit into the plan at all.

"Yeah, me too," Hazel asked, raising an eyebrow at Frank who smiled.

"Remember Leo's room and the Delta symbol?"

"Frank, no. We're not going in there again!" Annabeth furrowed her brow but Frank held his hands up in defense.

"It's not the best plan but how do you expect to hide a ton of demigods if we can't hide them in the hotel? There are too many cyclopes here to fight and make it out alive. The Labyrinth is our only option. Hazel should be able to navigate through it since it's underground and Jason is there for protection. If anything gets too bad, he can just fly her out and we'll go with Plan B."

"What's Plan B?"

"We run across New York to the Empire State Building."

"I'm sure that'll go over well…" Piper giggled to herself as she thought about fifty children wandering up to the front desk and cramming into the elevator for a field trip.

"That's why it's Plan B," Frank stated as Reyna, Percy, Matt, Izzy, and Ron sauntered over to them. Percy seemed to have the same reservations about the Labyrinth that Annabeth did but everyone else seemed fine, they didn't know the true horrors of the maze under the Earth. The two demigods needed Rachel to navigate the twists and turns while Luke Castellan had Ariadne's Thread. Somehow, Leo was able to navigate it on his own and they had none of those things to help them down there. They could very easily, ninety-five percent chance by Annabeth's calculations, die down there.

It wasn't long before everyone was in position. Percy and the three children sprang to action as soon as the others were near the fire escape. Even though the fire was still raging, it was decided that Jason might as well use as much as he could to create a path for them to walk through safely.

"So I can't just snuff out the flames with wind?" He asked as they watched around the corner of the alley where Percy and his crew ran towards the truck. With a yell from the demigod of Poseidon, several cyclopes emerged and fighting ensued. Izzy had materialized a bow and some arrows, looking to prod and annoy any beasts in sight to try and bring them into the street, while Ron and Matt kept them busy and bottle-necked for Percy to hit them with jets of water from the fire hydrant.

"Well, yes and no." Annabeth nodded, motioning for Jason to climb back into the hotel's ballroom window, "Fire needs oxygen and what you use is just air, primarily nitrogen, which is a natural 'fire stopper' but it's had time to grow and air is the primary reason forest fires double in size so quickly. At this point, you'd just be helping it move further into the hotel."

"Uh..." Jason zoned out as he helped Hazel and Piper into the ballroom.

Annabeth sighed, it was just like talking to Percy, "Big wind is bad. Small wind is good for the time being."

"Got it!" Jason nodded, his perfect grin shining as he turned towards the flames with outstretched arms. With everyone back in the hotel, he was able to create a small path for them to run through back through the doors; the fire hadn't left the ballroom but it would follow them if the door was opened. It was a chance they had to take.

"I don't see how any mother can love that face! I mean, look at your eye!" They heard several taunts from outside by their friends towards the monsters, roars followed soon after and the sound of metal scraping metal.

"Right, you know the plan. We'll meet in Room 101 as soon as we can." Reyna nodded, bringing Piper and Annabeth with her to round up lost demigods while Jason, Frank, and Hazel ran through the main lobby to Room 101. As soon as they reached the main lobby, Frank turned into a large bear and barreled a path for his friends to sneak past while he fought the monsters inside.

"You guys stink! I keep trying to give you a shower but you're just caked in gross!" Percy shouted, kicking a cyclops away as water catapulted him into the side of the hotel like a fly on flypaper. With watery tentacles, he watched the three demigods' backs as best as he could. They were trained but sloppy in how they fought.

Ron had stolen a hammer from a cyclops and was using it at the front lines like a wrecking ball while Matt threw rocks and taunted any enemy. If any cyclopes tried to reach Izzy, raining arrows from behind the line, they were pulled back by either Matt's taunts and annoying tactics or Percy physically pushing them away and back into the semi-truck.

"Mind if I borrow this?" Matt questioned, picking up a dagger from a cyclops Percy tripped. The dagger was perfectly made, glinting bronze, and he threw it right into the gut of a cyclops. It didn't die, but it sure did make the monster angry with the small demigod.

"STOP NOW!" It yelled as it charged forward only to get clobbered by a hammer and punched by a watery fist.

"This is better than target prac—what the Zeus is that?" She yelled, letting an arrow fly sideways and embed itself into one of the doors of the truck. She saw what looked like a giant bear charging through the lobby like a runaway train, cyclopes falling to the ground as it slashed and roared in their faces.

"That's my cousin. Or is it brother? Our family line is really screwed up..." Percy grinned, holding a cyclops upside down in watery hands as he shook it like he was trying to get gold coins from its pockets.

A roar erupted from Frank followed by another roar of a different kind, he had turned into a gorilla and was boxing his way through the monsters. Ron nearly swung at him out of surprise before it slammed a cyclops through a window that was nearing Matt.

"Thanks, Kong!" Matt shouted over the battle, wiping sweat and water from his face as he kicked a cyclops in the groin.

A scream pierced the lobby as several demigods ran past the battle towards Room 101, towards the escape route. Ron punched a cyclops in the face at the same time a pumpkin connected with the back of its head, orange juice flying everywhere. With amazement, he looked at his hands for a moment to hear Piper's laugh; firing food from the Cornucopia into the battle as she ran past with the others.

Jason and Hazel reached Room 101 easily, there weren't that many cyclopes on the way and the ones that found their way in front of them were soon a pile of golden dust. Hazel's hand slammed on the dark wooden door when they reached it, a shaky hand turning the knob as they entered the dark room. She'd heard the stories of the Labyrinth, most were definitely made up, though. I mean, there just couldn't be a nest of Hydras down there, or a rogue group of demigods building a Dark Camp, or a Sphinx hiding away...could there?

"We don't have much time. Find the Delta, I'll watch the door and try to g—oompf," Jason was cut off as a cyclops tackled him from the door, two more following after it as Jason struggled to twist free. Hazel could have helped but she needed to find the Delta first, that was the plan. Jason was an excellent fighter, he was Praetor of Camp Jupiter after all; he could handle himself.

She scoured the room, looking for a faded delta in the dark. Leo didn't have any lights in here, it seemed to be a perpetually dark room but if the maze opened on the empty wall then the button should be on the same wall...

Her eyes glanced over several papers but they looked like the ravings of a mad man. Plans for a small bomb with a remote detonator, what looked like plans to give automatons a voice, and a...was that a jetpack? She shook her head, but if the place was coming down then they couldn't let these plans go with them. She stuffed all the papers into several binders nearby, glancing at each one as she went, in an attempt to save his work. If they got out of here and found him, these designs could change everything.

With all the papers gone from the workbench, her gaze fell to a button in the corner. It was hidden under several stacks of paper concerning major fires in history like Leo was trying to keep it out of reach from anyone. Hazel knew she shouldn't have been wasting time but she had to know what was going on with Leo. It was apparent, now more than ever, that he wasn't well; let alone stable. Although his plans were breathtaking, they had notes scribbled on the sides that seemed like they belonged in an insane asylum.

Shut up.

Kill it?

Can it take a form?

Did they have one as well?

What about the dreams?

Seventh Wheel

Several phrases were repeated in his notes, all about a wheel and dreams and other people. It all sent shivers down Hazel's spine. But they had spent years tracking down their friend, they couldn't leave him alone. He didn't deserve any of this and he needed to know he had so many people around to help him through anything...

A small click came from the button as Hazel pushed it. It was the same color as the desk so if someone did come snooping around, they'd have a hard time finding it. Hazel merely found it because a paper got caught on it, pure luck.

The wall above the work bench shook, dust falling, as a portion of it slid away to reveal a large cork board littered with pictures, scraps of papers, photos, red yarn...the whole nine yards. It looked like a conspiracy wall by Hazel's best guess. There was a picture drawn of Victorian England with the dates 1212 and 1666 scribbled onto it, a painting of Chicago 1871, a black and white photo of San Francisco 1906, and several others. All of them had raging fires in the center of them.

Along with the fire photos were passages from books about ghosts, psychology, demons, and how one handled stress. Different colored yarn went from each passage to several fires, along with photos of people to accompany the fires. Hazel didn't have time to make out any of it so she hastily pulled on the cork board to remove it from the wall and placed it on the table with the binders of papers.

Dust exploded from the hallway as electricity surged from a direction, Jason was still taking care of the cyclopes but at least he was alive. Hazel had to hurry and find the delta or it would all be in vain. Her eyes and hands skimmed the barren wall as quickly as she could manage before they drifted over it. The bottom right corner of the wall, she'd found the entrance to the Labyrinth.

"Found it!" She yelled as more dust exploded followed by a spear being embedded into the wall on the other side.

"Great! Help please!" Jason shouted as the crude spear was pulled from the wall, Hazel ran out to help with her cavalry sword in hand.

Annabeth ran down the hallways with Piper and Reyna, they had amassed a sizable crowd of demigods behind them from the kitchen but were told others had ran to the gym area. Luckily, the cyclopes hadn't managed to make it far into the hotel so they didn't have to worry about any fighting. Piper held a small boy with blond hair and more freckles than anyone could imagine on a person, a blanket wrapped around him and a stuffed, three-headed dog in his arms. Reyna had given some of the older kids weapons from the kitchen if they didn't have any; steak knives, large cookie sheets as shields, spatulas, anything sharp they could use.

They reached the gym to see Victoria, the daughter of Hypnos, holding a bunch of notebooks in her arms as she calmed a small girl down with black and red hair.

"It'll be okay Rach, we'll get out of here, promise." She said before she yelped from Annabeth placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We're getting you out of here, all of you." She looked at the rest of the kids, they had saved about twenty by Annabeth's best guess, "Is this everyone?"

"We don't know...but we're usually pretty small around this time of year." Victoria shrugged with slanted eyebrows, her face full of worry if there were other people in the hotel.

"We have to go. We can't risk anyone's life." Reyna stated, trying to help a boy about Matt's age gather his small backpack so they could leave.

"But leave kids behind, Reyna? I can't do that..." Piper sighed, the boy in her hands smiling as Victoria played with him and his stuffed Cerberus.

"We'll take everyone to 101, someone has to tell the Stooges and Waterworld we're ready anyways. Look for people on the way but make it quick." Reyna nodded to Piper as Victoria took the boy in her arms, "I've got a sinking feeling in my belly and I'm pretty sure it's not the fire."

"What fire?" Victoria's eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Doesn't matter, it's in the ballroom. We'll be long gone before it gets to where we're going." Annabeth patted Victoria's back as she ushered people out of the gym.

Piper smiled softly to her friends as she ran the way they came, back towards the lobby to let them know they were ready to leave the hotel. Her mind racing from what Leo told them. No, what Leo helped them realize. After all, this time, they were still the Gods' play things. Hera's switch was still affecting everyone, the consequences of the Giant War still playing a part in their lives. Piper didn't know what to do.

On one hand, she had loved Leo. But on the other, even after finding the memories to be false ones, she loved Jason. Thanks to Hera, and probably her mother since she so adored love drama, she was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Piper slid on the rug as she rounded the last corner, seeing Jason and Hazel stab a cyclops in the gut as it turned to dust. Piper had checked as many rooms as she could on her way but found no one, she knew Annabeth and Reyna would take the long way around to give her some time but they'd be close behind now.

"We've got everyone, we ready to leave?" Piper panted as Jason placed a hand on her back, he looked to Hazel who nodded.

"Yeah, we are. I've got some of Leo's notes, though. We should bring those with us." She motioned to the inside of room 101 while Piper gave a thumbs up.

"Great. Jason, can you tell Percy and the others we're ready?" Jason grinned with a nod, he had tasted a small fight but wanted in on the action with the others. He'd heard several loud crashes and roars come from the lobby and yearned to fight with his friends once more.

He broke into a sprint towards the lobby, jumping off the back of a cyclops and landing atop another as a jet of water came rushing towards him. Jason rolled away just in time to see the monster splatter against the wall like a bug on a windshield.

"Ready!" The son of Zeus shouted over the roar of the battle. Frank grinned as he batted a cyclops away with his spear, Ron to his back using a hammer while Matt let loose a cry of victory.

Jason saw Percy pick Izzy up, who looked ready to bash his head in, and use water to propel himself forwards towards the lobby with the others. In a few moments, they had effectively switched positions on the enemy, fighting inside instead of out. Lightning coursed through Jason's fists as he shot forth a fork of it into the face of a cyclops, frying it instantly as the demigods backed away from the fight. There had been too many to try and fight but somehow the five of them had managed to keep them busy without dying. At least fifteen or so monsters stood in front of them and Jason wondered if they should just kill them.

But the three younger demigods seemed surprised monsters had found this place. There didn't seem to be any organization in the event of an attack. Which meant it rarely, if ever, happened. So if this place was compromised, there would be other attacks. A majority of the demigods didn't seem like fighters here, they'd be crushed if the older ones weren't around.

No, they'd have to leave this place forever.

One by one the demigod warriors turned and fled down to room 101, entering the room to see a crowd already piling into the dark hallway of the Labyrinth. Frank and Ron held the door as best they could against the monsters while everyone piled into the darkness.

Percy hesitated. His mind going back all those years to when he first entered the deadly maze. Body swaying under the rush of memories, his heart beating against his chest like the cyclopes on the door and his hands shook. That darkness didn't just make him think about his time in there with Annabeth and Rachel, but to Tartarus as well.

The massive form of Tartarus himself looking down at him. The literal Hell they had to go through to make it out alive. He still had nightmares about the depths that Hades ruled over.

"Percy, come on!" He snapped out of his thoughts to Frank and Ron pulling him into the darkness at the last second. The door exploding forth to reveal cyclopes rushing forward as the walls closed in front of them. The massive group of demigods were enveloped in a cold darkness created by the Labyrinth. They were safe...for now.

"Everyone okay?" Reyna called out, receiving several assurances as she looked to Hazel, "Do you think you can get us somewhere safe?"

"I...I think so. But, where do we go?" She fiddled with a curl in her hair.

Annabeth spoke up from behind her as they moved, "Maybe Leo set up those places near doors of the Labyrinth, we know he's got one near New Rome, one in Detroit, and more. Let's just try and find the closest one and go from there?"

"Sounds as good a plan as any." Jason shrugged, "Which one's the closest?"

"Well with this place, the closest could be the farthest away," Annabeth muttered as she traced her hand along the wall of the maze.

"Sounds peachy..." Jason retorted, falling back to check on Piper and several other kids as the group walked forth. Several demigods walking beneath the surface of the Earth in the fabled Labyrinth that once housed The Minotaur. On one final quest to save their friend and bring him home.

Leo jolted awake to the sound of running water, like waves on a beach. His heart thumped against his chest immediately.

"with a high cost, near the deepest reef."

Was he close to a reef? Was this where he was going to die? His eyes hadn't opened, he feared looking at his death in the face. But he wasn't alone, last he checked. The demigods from Pittsburgh were captured as well. His closest siblings, children of Hephaestus.

He opened his eyes to darkness. His hands touching smooth stone, it felt familiar to his fingers. A torch flickering away behind bars.

Back in the cell, Leo? What a mess you've made...

I got out before, I'll do it again.

You got out with the help of Nemesis. Now, you're on your own.

You'll help me.

Perhaps. We're nearing the end to this all and I just can't help myself I'm so giddy.

Fantastic. He was back in Ron' Tun, the stupid coliseum was still standing. Or, at least, they had made a new one after Leo blew up the old one. He looked around his cell to see a small window in his cell to the one next to his. He shakily stood up, crumbling to the floor due to his legs being asleep and waited a moment for them to wake up.

When he looked through the window of his cell he saw Edward, his second in command at the Pittsburgh hideout, relieving himself in the corner of his cell.

Well, at least it's not a reef.

Not yet.

You try to sound creepy but now I'm curious on how you'd turn pee into a reef.

Leo sat in his cell for but a moment before footsteps could be heard down the stone hallway. Each thump growing closer and closer, metal banging against the bars of each cell they passed and several orders barked as well. Someone important was coming. Was it Yorgos? He was probably still ticked off Leo technically beat him in their fight, even if he cheated. However, instead of Yorgos, Leo was looking at three all too familiar faces from behind the bars of his cell. A large female cyclops with greasy black hair, flanked by two male cyclopes smaller than herself.

She spoke with a low growl, wearing medieval attire that a Grecian queen would wear after rolling around in garbage. The smooth blue dress ripped in several places, the metal pin rusty, sandals ripped from her large feet, and her stench worse than anything Leo had had the pleasure of experiencing. The two male cyclopes wore attire fit for Roman gladiators, brown armor with spears in hand and a shield in the other.

"I told you, I'd have my revenge..." She growled at Leo.

"I'm impressed you can hold a grudge this long, I thought all Hyperborean Cyclopes were dead dumb," He tried to muster up any courage he could as he stared into the face of the cyclops woman, "Ma Gasket."

She merely smiled with a few teeth in her mouth before laughing, banging her fists on the cell before she and her two sons walked away back down the hallway. Leaving Leo trapped in his cell, wondering how she would have her revenge. But one thing was for sure, he couldn't let the other demigods die because of his mistakes.

(A/N) Apparently if you reviewed the last chapter (Previous Chapter 14 with Author's Note) you can't review this one publically. Someone brought this to my attention so if you wish to leave a review just PM me instead, thanks! Everyone else, if you didn't review the last chapter, feel free to review as normal!